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Journalism of Courage
The cluster redevelopment scheme in Mumbai, which was meant to incentivise the reconstruction of old and dilapidated buildings in clusters, is not finding many takers, despite a provision of a higher floor space index (FSI). City developers say this is mainly due to the criteria that the plot size should be a minimum of 6,000 square metres in suburbs, and 4,000 square metres in the city. Cluster redevelopment, they say, will only become successful if the minimum plot size requirement is reduced.
“For carrying out cluster redevelopment in the suburbs, the minimum plot size requirement is 6,000 square metres. At least five to six buildings have to be brought in together. This in itself is complicated. Therefore, several standalone buildings are being constructed in the suburbs,” Hitesh Thakkar, a developer from Mumbai suburbs, said. Redevelopment of just one or two buildings itself is a task as all members of these buildings should reach a consensus, Thakkar pointed out.
Another developer underlined the fact that the cluster redevelopment scheme provides more open space opportunities, which is not the case with standalone building developments where rooftop amenities are provided due to a lack of space. Therefore, to make the cluster scheme viable, the government should consider reducing the minimum plot size, especially in suburbs, the developer said.
In Mumbai, the minimum plot size of a building is around 1,000-1,500 sq mt. Therefore, with the present cluster redevelopment criteria, nearly 5-6 buildings need to come together if the builder wants to take advantage of the cluster scheme.
Anand Gupta, chairperson of the Housing and RERA Committee of Builders’ Association of India, said that to ‘collect’ 6,000 sq mt of plot size to take advantage of the cluster redevelopment project is not easy in a city like Mumbai. “I believe the plot size should be below 4,000 sq mt to make it viable and successful,” he said.
It takes a developer one or two years to get the consent of all the residents of a single housing society, Gupta said. “In cluster redevelopment, as more housing societies need to be clubbed, the entire process may take years. So reducing the plot size from say 6,000 sq mt to 4,000 sq mt and more in the suburbs may increase the probability of cluster redevelopment scheme adoption,” he added.
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